Speech at the First Plenary Session of the Tenth ASEM Summit

Mr. President,

Dear Colleagues,

It is my pleasure to attend the Tenth ASEM Summit in Milan, a fashion capital, in the invigorating autumn. October in China is the season of harvest and joy, so I hope the summit will yield fruitful results. I believe the two new partners, Croatia and Kazakhstan, will add fresh vitality1 to ASEM. On behalf of the Chinese government, I wish to thank the European union   and the Italian government for their thoughtful arrangements.

Asia and Europe, being two different continents, are linked together by mountains and rivers, and belong to the same geographic2 plate. Eurasia is the world's largest and most populous3 landmass. Back 2,000 years ago, the ancient Silk Road linked Asia with Europe and connected the civilizations of the East with the West. The Renaissance4 and the Enlightenment movement in Europe benefited from the ancient oriental wisdom, and the modernization5 of Asia was a process of learning from Western science, technology and industrial revolution. With the West learning from the East, and the East learning from the West, Asia and Europe have exchanged with and complemented6 each other, promoting development of the human society. In the 21st century, Europe has continued to lead the world in economy, science and technology, and Asia is now a region where the emerging economies are most dynamic. Asia and Europe have worked together to overcome the international financial crisis, which further strengthened their relationship of win-win cooperation and inclusive development.

Eurasia, home to more countries than other landmasses on earth, has stayed at the heart of international politics since ancient times. Its people used to suffer enormously from the scourge7 of war. Nonetheless, with no large-scale wars on Eurasia for about 70 years since the end of WWII, stability has become the pursuit of the people, and expanding trade has helped promote common development. Having said that, regional conflicts and turmoils8 in today's world are still affecting the stability of Eurasia. We therefore need to learn from historical experience, make full use of our sense and wisdom, and remain committed to the path of peace, security, stability and development.

Eurasia is a land that boasts the greatest development opportunities and potential in the world. Since its inception9 18 years ago, ASEM has witnessed deepening political dialogue, robust10 practical cooperation and extensive social and cultural exchanges. With expanding converging11 interests, ASEM members have grown into a community of shared responsibilities and destinies. The theme of this meeting, Responsible Partnership13 for Sustainable Growth and Security, is highly relevant. China stands ready to work with other ASEM partners in an open, inclusive and united spirit to foster the awareness14 of community, advocate unity12 and coordination15, and actively16 build a new type of comprehensive partnership for peace and development between Asia and Europe. Along this line, I wish to make the following proposals:

-- We need to jointly17 uphold peace, security, stability and development in Asia and Europe. Spanning across the Northern hemisphere, Eurasia covers an area of over 40 million square kilometers. Peace on this land has a direct bearing on the future and destiny of the 4.4 billion people living here and its implication goes even beyond to affect the world as a whole. More than ever before, we need a peaceful and secure Eurasia, a land free from confrontation18 and war. The 51 ASEM partners take four permanent seats in the UN Security Council, and have instituted many regional political and security dialogue and cooperation mechanisms20. Together, we represent an effective force upholding world peace and stability. ASEM members need to be more united, continue to participate in and support a multi-polar world and international and multilateral cooperation, and work to improve various mechanisms of dialogue and cooperation. We also need to commit ourselves to enhancing mutual21 trust and resolving crisis, and to addressing conflicts and disputes through political and peaceful means. Together, we may work to promote the building of a new pattern of international relations featuring peaceful coexistence and win-win cooperation.

-- We need to jointly promote connectivity and trade and investment liberalization in Asia and Europe. Though Asian and European countries are on the same landmass, their trade has been hampered22 by many geographical23 obstacles. Connectivity leads to prosperity, and that's what Eurasia urgently needs. China has initiated24 the Silk Road economic belt and the 21st century maritime25 Silk Road, and is ready to work with countries in the region to build a network of infrastructure26 connectivity on Eurasia, so as to deepen regional cooperation and promote common development. China will host a dialogue on Asia-Europe connectivity in 2015, and will launch a number of cooperation projects in this regard in due time. Meanwhile, we should recognize that trade between Asia and Europe only accounts for ten percent of their total trade, which points to a huge potential to be tapped. To expand economic cooperation and trade between Asia and Europe, we need not only the hardware basis of connectivity, but also the software support of institutional arrangements. We need to hold high the banner of trade and investment liberalization and facilitation and work together to uphold a fair and non-discriminatory multilateral trading regime. We need to build an open and inclusive regional free trade arrangement, resolutely27 oppose all forms of protectionism, and speed up the development of an integrated Asia-Europe market. China proposes that a senior officials' meeting on trade and investment be held in 2015, on the basis of which the ASEM Economic Ministers' Meeting could hopefully be resumed as soon as possible. To promote Asia-Europe cooperation under the new situation, we need to enhance exchange and cooperation on innovation, promote green, low-carbon and smart growth, and create new highlights in the economic growth of the two regions. China proposes that an ASEM cooperation center on science, technology and innovation be established, which may grow into a major platform for innovation and development.

阅读名人英文演讲稿，在阅读中体会演讲稿中心思想，有利于加强自身英语口语语感，提升英语口语自信。

线话英语，是学生通过电话和网络与外教一对一的对话教学模式，致力于“让每个学英语的人都有自己的外教”。外教一对一的教学模式，为学员们创建了一个真实的英语语言环境。线话英语，外教一对一，您身边的英语口语培训专家。